Feed-regulator for motors.



No. 691,259. Patented Jan. l4, I902. W. E. GIBBS.

FEED REGULATOR FOR MOTORS.

(Application filed May 8, 1901..)

(R0 Model.)

.lzzzzwwewt 171061223)? $79M i: 5. n @zW UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

\VILLIAM E. GIBBS, OF FANWOOD, NEXV JERSEY, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TOHENRY BERG, OF ORANGE VALLEY, NEW JERSEY.

FEED-REGULATOR FOR MOTORS.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent No. 691,259, dated January14, 1902.

Application filed May 8, 1901. Serial No. 59,230. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, WILLIAM E. GIBBS, a citizen of the United States,and a resident of Fanwood, in the county of Union and State of NewJersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inFeed-Regulators for Motors, of which-the following is a specification.

This invention relates to feed-regulators for motors; and its object isto supply the motive agent or medium to the motive devices in proportionto the consumption of same in overcoming varying loads.

The invention is particularly applicable to steam-motors, and in suchapplication it regulates the supply of feed-water to the boiler inproportion to the load.

The supply of feed-water to small boilers of such motive devices asmotor-vehicles has been a matter of some difficulty, and it hasgenerally-been effected by floats or bythermal devices responsive tochanges of water-level in the boiler, neither of which expedients isaltogether reliable or satisfactory. According to my invention theregulation of the water-feed is eifected in proportion to theconsumption of steam in the engine under varying loads by means of adynamometric feed-regulating device.

The invention comprises an engine or motor connected to the load andmovably mounted in such manner that the position of the motor-frameshifts with variations of load, a pump or water-feed device supplyingthe water to the boiler for the motor, and a device controlled bymovement of the motor-frame to control the feed of water to the boiler.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a vertical section showing theapplication of my invention to a steam-motor for a motorvehicle. Fig. 2is a sectional detail view of the parts directly concerned in theinvention.

The vehicle-frame 1 is carried on axles or shafts 2, on one of which themotor-frame 3 is pivotally mounted at one end, the other end of themotor-frame being spring-supported on the frame 1 by bracket 4 andsprings 5 5. The motor or steam-engined is carried by frame 3 and isconnected to drive the pinion 7, gearing with gear 8, on the shaft 2, onwhich one end of the motor-frame is journaled.

9 represents the steam-boiler connected to the engine by suitablepiping, and 10 represents the feed-water tank connected by pipe 11 withafeed-pump 12, which is connected by a pipe 13 with the boiler, saidpump being operated by a rod 14, connected to its piston 15 and to abar'16, pivoted at one end to the motor-frame 3 and at its other endengaging by a slot connection with the crank-pin 17 of the engine, sothat the pump is operated by the engine at a speed proportionate to theengine speed. As the motor-frame, with the pump and by-pass valve, movesto a certain extent around the driving-axle, itis necessary to make thepipe connections somewhat flexiblefor example, by couplings 27.Checkvalves 18 and 19 are provided in the feedpipes 11 and 13.

WVhen the motor is inactive, the motorframe rests in a certain definiteposition on its spring-support, and when the motor is started and exertsa torque on shaft 2 in overcoming a load the motor-frame is displacedmore orless from this position proportionately to the force exerted bythe motor, the spring-support being compressed one way or the other insuch movement. The springsupported motor-frame therefore constitutes adynainometric device responsive to the load on the engine. It may beassumed that in practice the motor will rotate only in one direction orthat the amount of rotation in the other direction will be comparativelynegligible. As the consumption of steam by the engine is directlyproportional to the load, it is apparent that the movement of themotorframe under variations of load may be used to control the feed ofwater to the boiler. To this end a rod 20, pivoted at 21 to thetruckframe lthat is,to a relatively fixed support is connected at itsother end to the lever 22 of a by-pass valve 23, located in a pipe 24,arranged as a by-pass around the pump 12 from pipe 11 to pipe 13. Innormal position of the motor-frame, the motor being at rest, the by-passvalve is held wide open by the rod 20; but when the motor is working themotor-frame, pump, and by-pass valve are displaced relatively to thetruck-frame and the pivot-point 21, and the valve 23 is closed more orless, depending on the load on the engine, and the action of the pumptherefore results in sending a proportional amount of water into theboiler, the remainder of the water pumped at each stroke passing throughthe by-pass back into the supply-pipe 11. Ordinary hand-valves may beprovided in the feed-pipe 11 and by-pass 24, so as to enable adjustmentof the feed within certain limits, and a turnbuckle 25 may be providedin the operating-rod 20 for the same purpose, such turnbuckle enablingthe regulation of the action of the by-pass valve 23.

The volume of water moved by the pump in a given time is proportional tothe speed of the engine, and the proportion of this water which reachesthe boiler is determined by the means above described, according to theaverage force exerted by the engine during that time. As the consumptionof steam in the engine is proportional to the work performed, which ismeasured by the product of speed and average effort, it is apparent thatthe water-supply can by the above-described means he made to conform tothe demands on the boiler from the engine.

The invention above described is applicable, with obvious modifications,to other motor-vehicles, such as boats, or to motive devices generally.

Having thus described my invention, the following is what I claim as newtherein and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

1. The combination with a motive apparatus,comprising a motor movablysupported so as to change its position under changes of ter to saidboiler, of a feed-regulating device connected to the motor-frame and toa relatively fixed part and controlling the feed of Water to the boilerin accordance with the load on the engine.

3. The combination with a motive apparatus comprising a motor operatedby a fluid medium, of means controlling the supply of operating fluid tothe motive apparatus, consisting of a dynamometric device responsive tothe load on the'motor and a feed-regulator for the fluid-supplycontrolled by said dynamometric device.

4. The combination with the steam-engine, boiler and feed-p11 mp, of adynamometric device responsive to the load on the engine and afeed-regulating device connected to said dynamometric device andcontrol-ling the feed of water to the boiler.

5. The combination with the steam-engine, boiler and a feed-pumpoperated by the engine, of a by-pass around the pump, a valve in suchby-pass, and a dynamometric device responsive to the load on the engineand controlling said by-pass.

6. The combination with the boiler and a feed-pump, and aspring-supported engine whose frame is movable under changes of load, ofa by-pass around the pump, including a valve and acontrolling means forsaid valve responsive to movement of the en gineframe, substantially asand for the purpose set forth.

7. The combination with the boiler, feedpump and the spring-supportedmotor whose frame is movable under changes of load, of a controllingdevice for the feed-pump responsive to movement of the motor-frame,substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

WM. E. GIBBS.

Witnesses:

HERBERT KNIGHT, WM. P. HAMMOND.

